March 17, 2001

Box Score

Champaign, Ill. - The 2000-2001 women's basketball season came to end for the University of Illinois Saturday night. The Illini, however, can hang their hat on the fact that they played their best basketball at the end of the season and that everyone is coming back next year.

Illinois ran into a hot-shooting Mississippi State team at Assembly Hall and the end result was an 86-77 MSU win in the second round of the WNIT. Mississippi State made 16 of 24 field goals, including 6 of 10 from the three-point arc in the first half as the Lady Bulldogs darted to a 41-33 lead at the break. Meadow Overstreet had 16 of her 18 points in the first half and canned 4 of 6 from the arc.

To Illinois' credit, the Illini never stopped fighting. Allison Curtin, who scored 30 points, and the rest of her teammates nearly matched the Bulldogs basket for basket in the second half and kept the game from being decided until the final three minutes of the game.

Curtin topped the 1,500-point mark with a three pointer early in the contest and made 4 of 9 treys for the game. Cindy Dallas, who had a combined 20 rebounds in the two WNIT games, had nine boards to go along with 11 points Saturday night. Dawn Vana added 10 points and six rebounds. Illinois out-rebounded an athletic Mississippi State team 35-28 and led in offensive boards 17-5. The Illini also had four fewer turnovers (14-18).

Illinois took its biggest lead of the game at 19-13 with 13:08 to play in the first half. Overstreet then scored 10 points in the next six minutes and Mississippi State went ahead for good at 29-27 with seven minutes left in the half. The lead reached 41-31 before Curtin scored to cut the deficit to eight at the half.

Thoughts of an Illinois comeback were dealt a serious blow when Mississippi State out-scored Illinois 17-9 to start the second half and took a 58-42 lead heading into the first media timeout of the second half. Mississippi State didn't cool off in the second half, shooting 60.8 percent to finish the game at .638 (30 of 47). Illinois shot 52.8 percent in the second half (19 of 36)

Illinois got as close as seven at 74-67, but a three-pointer by Mississippi State's Cynthia Hall with a hand in her face and just under three minutes to play all but sewed up the game for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs will take a 17-13 record into the quarterfinals against James Madison. Illinois ends its season at 17-16.